Lessons from LeVar Burton: Kindness & Connection Still Matter
I had the privilege of being a kid in the ’90s and growing up with incredible role models on TV like Fred Rogers, Shari Lewis, and LeVar Burton. Though each of these icons offered children something unique on their shows, kindness, empathy, inclusion, and the value of education were common threads that connected their messages to young audiences. As a kindergarten and preschool teacher for over 10 years and now as a teacher educator, I still look to them for the wisdom they shared with me as a kid. This is especially true in times of uncertainty—times like right now.
I am stunned that slightly more than half of voters in the U.S. have decided to overlook what Fred, Shari, and LeVar taught us: kindness, empathy, inclusion, and the value of education. As I watched the projections about who would win the presidency the night of the election and into the next day, I felt the hope I had for a brighter tomorrow drain from me. I was in Anaheim, CA, at the time—across the country from my home in southeastern Pennsylvania—attending the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) annual conference. Despite my distress, one thing kept me from feeling completely untethered from everything I thought I knew about humanity: the keynote speaker for the conference was LeVar Burton.
I never got to hear Shari or Fred speak in person, and there was no way I would miss LeVar. What I share next are the reasons I plan to hold on to hope, inspired by LeVar’s wisdom.
We’re Going to Be OK Because We Have Each Other
When LeVar took the stage for his keynote—a sit-down interview with NAEYC CEO Michelle Kang—one of the first things he said was, “We’re going to be okay because we have each other.” There were over 2,000 people in the room, and I think all of us started sobbing immediately.
I thought back to every hard thing I’d ever been through and the people who stood by me. Coming out in high school, the pandemic, and countless other challenges wouldn’t have been manageable without the people who cared for me and stood by my side no matter what. As teachers and parents, LeVar’s message carries so much power and possibility for how we help our children process difficult times. Simple questions like:
Who are the people who love you?
Who takes care of you when you’re not feeling well?
Who do you talk to when you feel sad or scared?
Reminding children—and ourselves—that we have people who care for us, and naming who they are, is an important first step in finding hope when we feel like we’ve lost it.
Lean Into Community
LeVar continued to talk about his incredible, decades-spanning career with remarkable humility. I can’t properly articulate what an A+ person he is or how fortunate I felt to be in that room. The younger version of me would have been giddy to hear him speak.
LeVar spoke about feeling the need to step up after Fred Rogers passed away—to be there for children and families when scary, big things happen. One way he did this was by writing a children’s book called The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm, which he read to us. Anyone who’d stopped crying started again immediately.
The book tells the story of a little mouse afraid of storms after her family loses their home in one. Her father shares a story about a rhino who swallows a storm but needs his friends’ help to release it. It’s a beautiful book I highly recommend parents and teachers check out.
The message I took from LeVar’s book is that we’ve all been through hard, sometimes impossible, things. Once we identify the people who were there for us during those times, we need to lean into their support. After helping children identify their helpers, parents and teachers can encourage them to think about how those helpers have made them feel better in the past. Questions like:
What does Daddy do to help you feel less scared?
How does your teacher help you feel better when you’re upset?
These questions can help children see that their community has supported them before and can do so again.
When You’re Ready, Take Action
I still can’t believe that LeVar Burton read to me in person—it’s an experience I’ll hold on to for the rest of my life, especially when I feel my hope fading. The fact that he wrote this book as a way to help children and families navigate grief and loss was deeply inspiring.
It made me reflect on what actions I can take to ensure kindness, empathy, inclusion, and the value of education remain central in our world. I’m incredibly fortunate in my work to support the next generation of early childhood professionals. This gives me opportunities to model and teach these attributes at every turn.
Parents and teachers, after helping children identify their support systems, you can guide them in taking action. Participate in food drives, fundraise for important causes, or volunteer for organizations that reflect your values.
Concluding Thoughts
Taking action to support others in times of grief and loss is a powerful manifestation of hope—it’s the light within us as humans. Before taking action, though, we must surround ourselves with the people who care for us most. Their love and support will give us the strength to act, no matter how small the first step may seem.
Do not let ignorance, hatred, and apathy fill the spaces within you where hope should live. Fill those spaces with love and support, turn that love into action, and let that action light the way forward.
To hear more from Dave, you can purchase his book Addressing Stress with Self-Compassion: A Guide for Early Childhood Teachers or listen to his podcast I Still Believe In School.
